An Unexpected Changeup
by Sir Stud Muffin
Summary: Derek is a minor league baseball player for the Northern California Wolverines. And he's been pining after his coach's son, Stiles, since he was hired as their event manager.


**AN:** **Rated T for language.**

**This to know about this 'verse that aren't mentioned specifically because the story's too short:**

**Laura is a nurse, lives with Derek after splitting up with her boyfriend.**  
**Chris Argent is the team's manager. You don't see him. But he needed a place.**  
**Scott is team's physical therapist, married to Allison.**  
**Deaton is team doctor.**  
**Lydia is Jackson's girlfriend and an advertising agent.**  
**Danny is Jackson's best friend and a sports photographer.**  
**Players put up in Beacon Hills where John Stilinski lives and Dr Deaton's sports medicine practice is based.**  
**Hale fire never happened; Kate was just vengeful for a while after Derek wouldn't go out with her.**

* * *

Stiles heads to Scott's office to show him the video game he'd just bought off Jackson. His friend Danny is a photographer who has some sort of connection to the gaming industry. This game isn't even on the shelves yet. "Scott, you have to see th-" he stops when he sees Scott is with a patient. "Oops, sorry. My bad. I'll just. Yeah. I'll go." He trips over a chair backing out of the physical therapy office.

Scott didn't mention Derek Hale was having sessions but it made sense. Stiles isn't sure why he hadn't assumed. Derek had hurt himself a few weeks ago. Scott had called the injury something specific but Stiles just knows it has to do with his pitching arm. Anyway, he'd just have to show Scott the game after work.

* * *

Scott looked back at Derek sheepishly. "Sorry, I forgot and told him I wasn't busy today." Derek's permanent scowl stayed the same but he nodded. "I think you're all done anyway. You've been doing a good job at home."

"Laura makes me do the exercises."

"She must have something over you to hold that kind of power." Scott had barely been able to convince Derek to see him at all. It had taken Coach mandating physical therapy for Derek to even talk about it.

Derek snorted. Laura knew about his unrequited feelings and lords them over him every chance she gets. She would never tell anyone her brother is gay and in love with the coach's son. She just makes Derek feel guilty about her being so supportive. She twists things around that way.

* * *

After practice, Isaac tells him he and Boyd and some other guys from the team are going out to Harris' – the local sports bar. He agrees, just to avoid Laura for a while longer. After her breaking up with her boyfriend and moving in with him, she started pestering him about his personal life. Maybe she'll lay off for the night if she sees he has the ability to socialize like a normal person.

At the bar, Derek finds more than "a few other guys" from the team. Even Allison, Scott's wife and the manager's daughter, is there. The only guys missing are Chris himself, Coach, and Dr. Deaton. Danny and Lydia are sitting on either side of Jackson in a booth as he tells some wild story that has the younger players enamored. Boyd and his girlfriend Erica are sitting at the bar. Scott sees him and says something to Stiles before getting up from their table by the broken Pac-man machine.

Derek manages to order a beer before Scott pulls his good elbow and drags him to the payphones. He raises his eyebrows as if to say "Yes?" Derek takes a drag of his beer, not sure what Scott wants. He does his exercises. He didn't have any problems at practice. He can't imagine why Scott needs a private word with him.

"Listen. Isaac was over for dinner last night and mentioned something to Allison…" Scott looks at him like he's waiting for something to click. It doesn't.

"And?" Derek isn't very interested in this line of conversation. He doesn't want to talk about his physical therapist's domestic life.

"Well then Allison mentioned it to me… Obviously…" Scott still seems like he's waiting for a ball to drop but Derek isn't taking the bait.

"And?" Derek really has no idea what Scott's talking about.

"Well I didn't know the Laura Allison works with is your sister." Scott's face starts to turn red.

"Okay." Derek didn't know they worked together either. (Although he doesn't see the relevance.) He takes another swig of his beer.

"Laura told Allison a couple weeks ago thatherbrotherhasthiscrazycrushonhisboss'sonand-" Scott doesn't get to finish. Derek coughs on his drink when he realizes what Scott said and spills the rest of it on Scott's shirt.

"Shit." That's all Derek manages to say as he continues coughing. _Did he…?_

"Look, I didn't say anything to Stiles!" Scott's voice is almost as panicky as Derek feels. "And I don't care. Or I don't mind. And Stiles. Well he is too." Scott's using an abandoned napkin from on top of a payphone to dry his shirt.

Derek doesn't need to ask what he means. Stiles is gay. He feels his face heat up as he looks around the bar. Stiles is talking to Allison, not noticing them in the alcove.

"I don't-"

"You should say something." Derek looks at him skeptically. Stiles has made fun of his face, his hair, his pitching, and his social skills since day one. Derek thinks Stiles has made it perfectly clear he's not fond of him. "No really! I know it seems like he doesn't like you but he never shuts up about you."

Derek doesn't say anything. Doesn't know what to say. "Okay." He didn't mean to say that. His face is still flushed when Scott pats him on the shoulder before going back to his table.

* * *

A week passes when Stiles walks into another one of his sessions. "Scott, man, are you ready to go to Los Amigos?" He opens the door slowly, this time aware Derek's in the room.

Scott looks at Derek meaningfully. Derek looks away. He hasn't had the nerve to talk to Stiles yet. Scott looks back at Stiles, who's waiting for a response. "Actually, dude, I forgot I have a meeting with Deaton this afternoon."

"But it's Taco Tuesday!" Stiles looks defeated. Scott just shrugs.

"I'll go." Derek regrets the words as soon as they're out of his mouth. Stiles stares at him. "If you didn't want to go alone," he adds.

Stiles grins slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, that'd be great."

* * *

It takes them a few non-dates to get around to talking about the elephant in the room. "Look if you're not interested, I understand," Derek blurts out over sushi.

Stiles pauses, mouth open, sushi mid-air. "Interested?" He looks confused.

_Oh god_. "In me," he clarifies. "If you're not interested in me, I get it. I'm a closeted jock and you're... you. Danny'd probably want to do some kind of spread if he found out. There was that whole thing with Kate. Of course you're not interested. I'm sorry, I should go." Derek grabs his jacket and stands to leave.

Stiles stops him with a hand on his wrist. "I didn't- I mean I hoped- I didn't realize _you_ were interested." Stiles' ears are pink to match his cheeks.

"How did you _not_?" Laura'd been giving him flirting tips. (Which was awkward.) "I've been hitting on you since Taco Tuesday!"

"You have?" Stiles' voice cracks.

"Can we pretend this never happened? I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone, too. The team doesn't know about me." Derek desperately wants to get to the door. He feels pathetic; Stiles is embarrassed for him.

Stiles stands, suddenly angry. "Pretend this never happened?! And what? Just not go out again? Decide I'm not good enough?"

"What are you talking about?" Derek is confused. "_No one else is good enough_." He knows he's said too much now. He really, really wants to leave but Stiles' grip on his wrist tightens.

"You mean that?" Stiles looks half-hopeful.

"I don't like tacos," he admits. "…Or sushi."

They stare at each other for a moment until Stiles laughs. His laugh is infectious, making Derek laugh too.

"I think that's the most you've said to me on one date and the first time I've heard you laugh."

"So these _were_ dates?" Derek smiles, realizing they've gotten closer together.

Stiles leans in. "Maybe."

Suddenly they're kissing. It's cut short, however, by a boisterous cheer from hibachi grill in the back corner. They look over to see Scott, Isaac, Boyd, and Jackson exchanging money. _I guess they're okay with the gay thing. _Not that he thought they'd be douche-y about it. Jackson, maybe, except Danny is gay and Jackson has defended him against other team members. Jackson's just a douche bag in general.

Stiles hides his face in Derek's leather jacket. "I think I just outed you."

Derek wraps his arms around Stiles' waist. "Good."


End file.
